Grad school produces positive life lessons

It is somewhat bizarre to me that a few days from now, I will be walking across a stage to receive a diploma that indicates that I have completed a master’s degree. To borrow a cliché, it seems like just yesterday that I was walking into Media Law, my very first class as a graduate student at Texas State University. To be fair, that was only 16 months ago. But the changes I have experienced since that first day are invaluable. The lessons that I have learned—both in and out of class—will remain with me for the rest of my life. Ultimately, those are some of the most important reasons why I returned to school for graduate work.

I started graduate school after a decade in the corporate world. Maybe that gives me a somewhat different perspective on grad school life. Or perhaps not. Either way, when I matriculate, I will leave this university grateful for what I am taking with me. I will leave with the reminder that there is a place in this world that exists for the purposes of shared thought. There is an environment where differences of opinion are perfectly OK and outside-of-the-box thinking is encouraged. There is somewhere in this world where there is nothing wrong with questioning the status quo. In other words, my graduate school experience has reminded me that it is OK to think.

In less than two weeks, my tenure at Texas State University will come to an end. At that point, it is my responsibility to take what I have learned here and use it as a guide on whatever path of life I encounter. Thanks to the professors here, I am well equipped for that journey.